In U.S. Pat. No. 2,949,019, issued Aug. 16, 1960; No. 3,465,537, issued Sept. 9, 1969; No. 3,559,424, issued Feb. 2, 1971; U.S. Pat. No. 26,101, issued Oct. 11, 1966; and No. 3,791,163, issued Feb. 12, 1974, all of which patents are assigned to the assignee of the present application, various types of ice making machines are disclosed for producing ice cubes or the like and which comprise a plurality of generally inverted ice cube cups or molds adapted to have water sprayed therewithin by means of a rotatable spray bar located below the molds. The ice cubes are adapted to drop downwardly into a chute during a subsequent ice harvest cycle, whereby the cubes are delivered to an ice storage bin to which access may be had through a suitable access opening or the like.
The present invention is generally related to an ice making machine of the above-described character; however, the apparatus of the present invention features a number of improvements over the various types of ice making machines shown in the aforesaid patents. In particular, the ice making machine of the present invention is intended to produce a relatively large volume of ice cubes over a given period of time, as compared to the machines disclosed in the aforementioned prior art patents, which ice producing capacity is attributed to the arrangement and cooperation between a plurality of ice producing mechanisms that are oriented in two tandem pairs and adapted to have the ice cubes produced thereby drop downwardly into a common ice storage bin located below the ice producing mechanisms. This arrangement of the ice producing mechanisms is achieved as a result of the particular orientation of the water holding tank or platen, water sump, ice forming molds and water spray bar, all of which components are disposed in compact unitized assemblies that permit stacking two separate ice producing mechanisms on top of one another and incorporating two pair of such mechanisms within a common housing.
It is, accordingly, a general object of the present invention to provide a new and improved ice making machine.
It is a more particular object of the present invention to provide a new and improved ice making machine which is capable of producing large quantities of ice cubes over a given period of time.
It is still a more particular object of the present invention to provide a new and improved ice making machine, as above described, which incorporates a plurality of ice producing mechanisms in a common housing and which are arranged so as to have the ice cubes produced thereby transmitted to an adjacently located storage bin.
It is further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved ice making machine of the above character, the refrigeration systems of which utilize common components.
It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide a new and improved ice making machine, as above described, wherein one of the common refrigerant components utilized comprises the refrigeration condenser.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved ice making machine wherein the condenser is hingedly mounted so as to be movable between a normally closed position and an open position providing access to the interior of the ice making machine for purposes of inspection, repair or the like.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved ice making machine of the above character wherein the ice producing mechanisms are fabricated of easily cleaned materials so as to satisfy the requisite sanitation standards attendant the production of ice.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved ice making machine having a long and effective operational life and which may be easily installed and economically manufactured.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.